Body of Woodlawn girl, 16, found in woods, police say

Baltimore County police tentatively identified a decomposed body found in woods in the Milford Mill area yesterday as that of a pregnant 16-year-old Woodlawn girl reported missing May 23.

Found by a man doing yard work near his home in the 3700 block of Old Milford Mill Road, the remains are believed to be those of Chanell N. Clanton, said E. Jay Miller, a Baltimore County police spokesman.

"The medical examiner still has to make a positive identification, but we've notified [the Clanton girl's] parents that we believe it's her," Mr. Miller said.

Chanell Clanton was last seen getting on a Mass Transit Administration bus about 3 p.m. May 22 after leaving school in Northwest Baltimore. She was expected at the home of an aunt, but she never arrived.

The body was discovered about 1:50 p.m. yesterday. Mr. Miller said the hands had been bound in front and an identification card bearing the name Chanell Clanton was found at the scene.

However, the clothing on the body does not match the description of the clothes Chanell was wearing on the day she disappeared, Mr. Miller said.

No cause of death was apparent, police said. Chanell was five months pregnant.

The girl had called her aunt from the Security Square Mall on the day she disappeared, saying she was trying to get a cab to go and see her.

"She went deep underground after that," Mr. Miller said. "No one heard from her again."

Four days after her disappearance, Baltimore police arrested a West Baltimore teen-ager, Richard Towson, 17, on an unrelated murder charge and questioned him in connection with Chanell's disappearance.

Police said Chanell was Towson's pen-pal while he was in prison for a handgun violation. He told police and the girl's family that he had not seen Chanell recently.